While I truly appreciate the technological miracle of human flight, I'd altogether avoid flying if it were possible to do that and still indulge my serious case of wanderlust. And I love a good road trip, but who would want to drive everywhere? So until teleportation devices are invented I'll continue to travel by train whenever possible...and here's why.

1) Bells and Whistles – No other form of transportation has sounds as exciting for kids and inexplicably nostalgic for adults to hear than the ones a train uses to announce its presence. Those who live next to railroad tracks excepted, there's something a little wrong with people who don't like the sound of a train whistle, or the clanking bells as it approaches a station.

2) Downtown to Downtown – Saving on cab fare, rental cars or time spent commuting from airports on the outskirts of a city is a definite train travel perk. Whether headed somewhere for work or pleasure, arriving downtown saves time and lessens the likelihood you'll succumb to the tempting smell of an airport Cinnabon.

3) Leg Room – Tall people sometimes have to pay extra to bring their legs along while traveling. On a 13-hour flight from the States to Tokyo my legs literally touched the seat in front of me the entire way. I paid an additional fee for United's Economy Plus on the way home to try and avoid significant back pain. In contrast, regular economy class on a train comes with space for my legs to happily accompany me at no extra cost.